You Make Me Live
by Honorious
Summary: In which Juugo has DID, Karin works at a grocery store, and, somehow, they are friends.


**Title: **You Make Me Live  
** Characters: **Juugo, Karin, mentions of Suigetsu, and Orochimaru  
**Summary:** In which Juugo has Disassociative Identity Disorder, Karin works at a grocery store, and, somehow, they are friends. AU, Juugo POV.  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. :c  
**Rating: **T, to be safe. Language.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I let myself into the familiar apartment and revel in the warmth. After a ten minute walk in twenty degree weather, walking into the apartment was like walking into paradise. I don't mind the cold, but I definitely don't enjoy it.

I feel myself relax, the tight lines in my face unwinding, and realize that I've been on edge all day until now. Here, in her house, I feel at home, even more so than in my own flat. Even the horrible voice in my head, usually mocking me and making nasty comments, is blessedly silent. I almost cry with relief.

I breathe deeply, taking in the scents of her, some sort of air-freshener, and a faint hint of dirty laundry. It's like taking a breath of sweet air after a huge storm has momentarily cleared away the pollution. Shedding my winter coat, I neatly place it in the front closet, next to her many fashionable jackets.

I amble into the living room, armed with a bag of Chinese takeout. The room, usually strewn with all sorts of junk, is strangely free of clutter. I blink, surprised. Looking over into the kitchen, I find the owner of the household. My eyebrows raise at the sight.

Karin has on a white sweatshirt that was once mine, and she is positively dwarfed by it. Along with the huge sweatshirt, she is wearing a pair of red shorts. To complete the look, her feet are clad in fuzzy hot pink socks. Her glasses are unusually absent, and her dark red hair is pulled back in a loose bun. What is more interesting than her clothing, however, is what she seems to be doing.

Underneath her pink feet is a wet rag, on which is apparently scooching her way across the tiled floor. I watch, dumbfounded for a minute, then burst out laughing at her odd, shuffling form. She seems very concentrated on her work, and her serious expression only makes me laugh harder.

"What," I ask, wiping a tear from my eye and trying to keep my face straight, "are you doing?"

She looks up and sticks her tongue out at me. "Cleaning."

"Ever heard of a mop?"

"Yes, but I don't have one, and this ingenious improvisor is much more fun." She grins.

"You, my friend, are easily amused," I smirk back at her, and set the takeout bag on her table. Her face lights up hungrily.

"Oh my god, I am so hungry and I was just in the mood for Chinese. Let me just finish up here, and then give me that food."

Two more minutes of rag-shuffling, and we were seated at the small round table. I'm still chuckling.

"Mmm, this looks so delicious. And fattening, and high in sodium," she says mournfully, but practically shovels food onto her plate nonetheless. I fill my plate at a more deliberate pace.

"So, have you been cleaning all day?"

"Yup. And I'm not even done with half of it. I still have the bathroom and my bedroom _and_ the closet to do. I'll have to clean it tomorrow too," she moans. "A whole weekend wasted cleaning!"

She stops for a moment, and looks at me slyly. I know what's coming before she even speaks.

"Of course, _you_ could -"

"Alright, I'll come help you tomorrow, but only if you buy me dinner."

"Fine," she humphs, but looks happy.

"But, anyway, why have you suddenly felt the need to clean your whole apartment? I always thought you wanted it messy. Like there was some kind of order to all the chaos, and you knew exactly where everything was."

"Nope, it's just regular chaos. I found so many long-lost things today, it was ridiculous."

We continue talking, she occasionally with her mouth full, all through dinner. We discuss all manner of things. She rants about her 'asshole of a coworker' Suigetsu, who also happens to be in some of her classes. I tell her about a book I'm currently glued to. To anyone else, our conversation would have been rather boring. For me, though, it was the best part of my day.

Talking to Karin is so refreshing, and so cleansing. I shove all my troubles at her, and she offers me sympathy, advice, and good-natured eye rolls. Occasionally I have to suffer through a lecture, but only occasionally.

I have to go to a psychotherapist, Dr. Orochimaru, once a week, but those appointments aren't nearly as helpful as my talks with Karin. I could talk to a plastic dummy instead of my therapist, and there wouldn't be much difference. For the difference between Dr. Orochimaru and Karin is that Karin actually cares. She really concentrates on what I'm saying. She doesn't look for some hidden meaning underneath what I'm saying, doesn't constantly check her watch to see if it's time for me to go yet. Karin really wants, and tries, to understand how I feel.

I once told Karin she should become a psychotherapist, but she only laughed and said, "I may care about _your_ problems, but I don't give a shit about anyone else's, even if they pay me."

This is why I have fallen in love with her. I love everything about her, from the way she shuffles on a rag across her kitchen floor in pink socks, to how she focuses only on me when we're talking, as if I'm the only person in the world. Without her, I could not be where I am today, comfortable, happy to some extent, even alive. She is the one person I could not possibly live without.

I gaze at her as she gushes about some new movie coming out, and I wish I could tell her this, that I'm hopelessly devoted to her, but I just can't. So I just smile and nod at what she's saying, idly wishing for something more.

_ Author's Note_  
Aw, I've always wanted to use the phrase 'hopelessly devoted.' Juugo's so cute.  
So, the beginning of my Hebi story, cause they need more love. Well, it's more of a collection of one-shots, as I don't really have a plot, just a bunch of random scenes/ideas running around in my head. The way I've decided to do it, every other chapter will be a flashback. So the pattern will be something like: random Karin&Juugo scene, flashback, random Karin&Juugo scene, etc etc. Oh, and if you don't know what Disassociative Identity Disorder is, it's also known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Go to wikipedia for more info. That's where I got most of my info (don't worry, I checked other sources). More information will be in the next chapter if you're too lazy to look it up. :P  
Fun fact: Title was inspired by the song You're My Best Friend, by Queen. I listened to it while writing this, and suddenly realized how fitting it was. x)

Anyway, reviews are loved, constructive criticism encouraged, and flames discouraged. Thanks for reading. :)


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